The BJP is against the idea of having three capitals in Andhra Pradesh, party Rajya Sabha member G.V.L. Narasimha Rao has said and advocated Amaravati should continue as the only capital of the State.
“Amravati has already been decided and agreed upon by all. There is no deviation from it. Politically, we oppose the idea of three capitals, including making Visakhapatnam as the Executive Capital of the State,” Mr. Narasimha Rao said while addressing the media here on Wednesday.
Revenue deficit grant
Referring to the claims of the YSRCP government that the Centre is not releasing adequate funds for the State, Mr. Narasimha Rao said that the Union government had given ₹879 crore as the revenue deficit grant to Andhra Pradesh this month alone.
About ₹7,185 crore was sanctioned for about 14 States with revenue deficit and Andhra Pradesh’s share was ₹879 crore. The Centre has been releasing the grant ever since the 14th Finance Commission has recommended it, he added.
“In this year alone, Andhra Pradesh was given close to ₹5,275 crore. Despite this, the State government keeps complaining. This amount given under the revenue deficit grant is much more than the special package that was recommended by the earlier TDP regime,” Mr. Narasimha Rao said.
Talking about plans for 2024 elections, the BJP MP said that his party won 303 seats in 2019 and the target for 2024 is to ‘cross the 400-mark’.
“Our focus is now on the 144 MP seats including that of Visakhapatnam, which we could not win earlier. We will prove that the BJP is the only party that can infuse double-engine growth for the State,” he said.
The MP told the media that the BJP was going ahead with the plans for ‘Vizag @ 2030’, in which holistic development plans were being formulated. “I have recently spoken with the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal. He has agreed in principle to take up the issue of pollution at the port. Efforts are on to build covered sheds to contain the dust pollution from cargoes,” he said.
22A land issue
Mr. Narasimha Rao was also critical of the 22A land issue. He said that poor and middle-class people were suffering because of this. “We have urged the Collector to settle the issue on a war-footing by opening a special cell,” he said.
He questioned as to why the reports furnished by the SITs formed to probe into the Vizag land scam during the TDP and YSRCP governments had not been made public so far. “There appears to be a deal struck between both the parties,“ he said.
He said the party had a detailed meeting with 16 banks, including the SBI, the lead bank, to see that the Central schemes such as PM SVANidhi and PMEGP benefits reach the beneficiaries on time.
Mr. Narasimha Rao denied that there was any rift between the BJP and its alliance partner Jana Sena Party (JSP).
“We have have always maintained that the JSP is our sole ally in Andhra Pradesh. Our relations are growing stronger. The reports of rifts are fabricated. Both the BJP and the JSP are strengthening their bases in the State,” he said.
